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Colonel Miriam Krieger

Permanent Professor & Department Head

Department of Political Science

Col Krieger
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Bio

Col Miriam A. Krieger serves as Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science (DFPS) at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. As the Permanent Professor of political science, she commands a department of 31 military and high-ranking civilians, responsible for all curriculum, personnel, budget, research, and long-range planning.

Col Krieger, a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy, earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering and two Masters Degrees as a George C. Marshall Scholar: an MA in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and an MSc in Conflict, Security and Development from the War Department at Kings College London. She attended Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training and flew F-16s at Homestead ARB, FL as part of the Total Force Integration initiative, where she advanced to four-ship flight lead and deployed to the Korean Peninsula. Col Krieger previously served as Deputy Group Commander of Cadet Group Three at the United States Air Force Academy and as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She received her doctorate from the Department of Government at Georgetown University on the CSAF Captains Prestigious Ph.D. Program.

Education

2004 Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, US Air Force Academy (Distinguished Graduate)

2005 Master of Arts in Global Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science

2006 Master of Science in Conflict, Security and Development, Kings College London

2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL (Distinguished Graduate; Outstanding Contributor)

2013 Master of Arts in International Relations, Georgetown University

2018 Ph.D. in Government – International Relations, Georgetown University

Professional Experience
ASSIGNMENTS
  1. June 2004 – August 2004, Language and Area Studies Immersion (LASI), St. Petersburg, Russia
  2. August 2004 – June 2005, graduate student, London School of Economics and Political Science, London UK
  3. June 2005 – August 2005, fellow, U.S. Department of State Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfer, Washington, D.C.
  4. August 2004 – June 2005, graduate student, King’s College London, London UK
  5. August 2006 – March 2008, student, undergraduate flying training, Sheppard AFB, TX
  6. April 2008 – March 2009, student, F-16 B-course, 62nd Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ
  7. April 2009 – August 2012, Chief of Scheduling and Aircrew Flight Equipment Officer, 93d Fighter Squadron, Homestead ARB, FL
  8. August 2012 – September 2015, CSAF PhD Fellow, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
  9. September 2015 – September 2017, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Chairman’s Action Group, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
  10. October 2017 – May 2018, Instructor of Political Science, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO.
  11. June 2018 – May 2020, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Chief, International Relations and Defense Policy, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
  12. June 2020 – Dec 2020, Deputy Group Commander, Cadet Group Three, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
  13. Dec 2020 – present, Political Science Department Head & Permanent Professor, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating: Pilot
Flight hours: 700 hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, and F-16

Honors & Awards
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
  • Defense Meritorious Service Medal
  • Air Force Commendation Medal
  • Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device
  • National Defense Service Medal
  • Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
  • Korea Defense Service Medal
 OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
  • 2002 Harry S. Truman Scholarship
  • 2003 George C. Marshall Scholarship
  • 2004 Amon S. Andes Award
  • 2004 Thomas D. Moore Award
  • 2004 USAFA Distinguished Graduate; 4/978 overall, 1/978 academically
  • 2005 Department of State Certificate of Appreciation
  • 2010 Squadron Officer School Distinguished Graduate
  • 2010 Squadron Officer School Outstanding Contributor
  • 2010 482FW Company Grade Officer of the Year
  • 2011 Chief of Staff of the Air Force Captains Prestigious Ph.D. Award Winner – AF Level
  • 2013 Center for a New American Security Next Generation National Security Fellow
  • 2014 Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Winner
  • 2015 General Wilma Vaught Visionary Leadership Award Winner (officer category) – AF level
  • 2018 PhD Doctoral Dissertation Awarded “Distinction”
  • 2020 US Air Force Academy Association of Graduated Young Alumni Excellence Award
Research and Scholarly Interests

Civil-Military Relations, National Security, Nuclear Deterrence, Conflict and War Studies, Diversity and Security, Talent Management and Personnel Policy

Publications

Academic Publications:
  • Krieger, M., Riley J., & Chandler-Garcia, L. (Eds.) American Defense Policy, 9th Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Krieger, M., Souma, S., & Nexon, D. (2015). US military diplomacy in practice. In O. Sending, V. Pouliot, & I. Neumann (Eds.), Diplomacy and the Making of World Politics (Cambridge Studies in International Relations, pp. 220-255). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • International Institute for Strategic Studies (2006). The Military Balance 2006. 106th ed. Oxford: Routledge. (author and editor on the following chapters: United States, Europe, Africa, Russia (ed))
Non-academic publications: